The community is stepping up to help a Halifax family after their dog’s wheelchair was recently stolen.
Smidgen, a 10-year-old Chihuahua mix, was left paralyzed from the waist down six years ago.
“She’s been in a wheelchair ever since then, but as soon as she was out of pain, she never slows down. She just goes and goes,” said Lisa Lavoie, Smidgen’s owner.
Last week, Smidgen had to have emergency surgery, so Lavoie kept her closer to home while she recovered.
“A few days later, I went outside and her wheels were gone off our porch, so the place they’ve been for the last three years since we’ve been back in Halifax. And they were just gone,” she said.
Her family has put out calls on social media, hoping someone has seen the custom wheelchair around, but so far, no luck.
“I don’t know who would take a little dog’s wheelchair or what the use would be,” said Lavoie. “We looked just to see if it was kids. We looked around to see if somebody just took it and put it in a dumpster just for fun. We looked all over the place.”
A stranger has now set up a fundraiser to help get Smidgen new wheels.
“I’m an active member of the HRM dog community, often fundraising for dogs in need or rescues. When I saw the post about Smidgen, it broke my heart and I just had to do something,” said fundraiser organizer Stephanie Gustys.
“I looked at buying a wheelchair for her, but it needs to be custom to fit Smidgen, so a GoFundMe seemed like the best answer.” As of 5 p.m. Friday, close to $600 had been raised. The goal is set at $800.
Lavoie is beyond grateful for the support.
“It’s amazing. There are amazing people out there,” she said. “I had no idea how I was going to replace the wheels on the back of a surgery.”
Lavoie looks forward to being able to get back out with Smidgen.
“She’s well-known, well-loved, spreads joy,” said Lavoie. “Everywhere she goes, people stop, people roll down their windows, and any neighbourhood we’ve lived in, people have not known my name, but they know her name.”
Lavoie is still hopeful the original wheelchair will be found.
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